Posted November 12, 2012 - No Comment

City of Lawrence Monthly Update

Tom Shevlot is a City of Lawrence Councilman.

Well, what a month makes. In the October edition of atGeist, I shared what I thought was some hopeful news that we would be able to spare the elimination of 24 EMTs from the City of Lawrence’s Fire Department. However, at our first full council meeting in early October, Mayor Jessup informed us he was withdrawing the public safety tax levy ordinance he submitted to the council for consideration. He was no longer pursing the merger of our EMT force with Indianapolis EMS.

This last-minute change of course concerned many of us on the council. As previously shared with readers of atGeist, public safety service levels (fire & police protection) were of the utmost importance to the council, and there was great concern that removing civilian EMTs from the fire houses would potentially compromise these service levels. Mayor Jessup felt he had no choice but to eliminate these employees from our public service ranks in order to shore up a financial shortfall the city was expected to have in 2012 and in 2013. Although the 2011 council passed a balanced budget for 2012, which did include spending down most of the cash reserves, forecasted tax revenues came in less than projected and expenses continued to rise above what was budgeted. The council presented several revenue enhancements and an expense reduction option to the Mayor to avoid the elimination of 24 EMTs; however, it was not to be. It’s still too soon to see if this was the best route to take to address our weakened financial situation the city faces; but now that the decision has been made, I am confident our fire department will continue to do their job as the professionals they are all while keeping public safety as their primary mission.

On a positive note, Monarch Beverage, which has 650 employees, has 40 job openings and said the laid-off EMTs would be given preferential hiring here in Lawrence. They have reached out to the city and offered opportunities to those recently-released EMTs.

On October 24, the City Council passed the 2013 budget. In addition, the city also addressed some issues that were of concern to the Council with regards to the salary ordinances that needed to be re-aligned. They also removed some positions that were no longer needed or utilized.

Two thousand thirteen will still present its challenges, and the Council will be focused on reviewing how the administration is staying within the budget that was passed as well as continuing to work with the administration on streamlining our processes and services. By doing so, the objective will be to move the city to a culture where business and communities thrive and to leave behind doing “business as usual.” The citizens of this city are looking forward where public safety and stewardship of their tax dollars are invested wisely and yield prosperous returns.

The City Council and committee meetings are open to the public. Our full council meetings are held on the first Monday of each month in the general assembly room at the government center. Committee and board meetings are all noted and can be found on the city’s web site, www.cityoflawrence.org.

Read more
Posted August 8, 2012 - No Comment

City of Lawrence Council Update

Tom Shevlot is a newly elected at large member of the City of Lawrence Council.

2012 brought four newly-elected members to the City of Lawrence Council. Two were elected as At-Large candidates, which means they represent the entire City of Lawrence. I was one of those newly-elected At-Large candidates and as a first time candidate, it has been a great experience and honor to serve on your city council.

The year started off with a great deal of activity. A number of new initiatives were brought before the Finance, Economic Development, Code, and Parks & Recreation Committees. The Economic Development Committee passed an ordinance for a new construction project at the Westminster Senior Living facility. This project not only enhances the existing services of their facility, but brings with it new jobs to our community.

Another sign that the City of Lawrence continues to grow is the recent ground breaking of a new training facility. While preserving the heritage of Fort Benjamin Harrison, we continue to see growth of a new facility for the Army, Marine,and Navy Reserves.

The Code Committee has responsibility to review and put forth to the full council voting on matters relating to the City’s overall code ordinances. The City’s code department has a staff of 35 who work to ensure the City’s codes are followed to provide for the safety of our citizens, make sure proper building practices are followed, and protect our natural resources. Public Works has the responsibility for city streets, sanitation building codes and permits. The most recent ordinance passed by the full council was the adoption of a city-wide smoking ban that mirrors the ordinance recently passed by the City of Indianapolis.

Over the next few months, the City’s administration will be working with the Finance Committee in delivering the 2013 budget to the full council for vote. The tough economy throughout the country is not lost on the City of Lawrence. As a result, 2013 will be met with many of the same challenges with which citizens, cities, and towns across the nation are dealing. However, this council will work hard to ensure that residents’ tax dollars are utilized to their fullest.

This year’s Independence Day parade was especially unique. Despite the excessive heat, many gathered to watch Mr. Averitte Corley, a Grand Marshal of the Lawrence Fourth of July Parade, be presented with a Congressional Gold Medal on July 4th.

The Common Council meets on the first Monday of every month at 6:30 at the Government Center.

Read more